The lighting industry is transitioning towards LEDs from incandescent and compact fluorescent lights. In home and business lighting alone 1.9 billion 60-watt incandescent bulbs will need to be replaced in the U.S. once the Energy Independence and Security Act takes effect in 2012. This figure does not take into account the number of 75- and 100-watt bulbs that will also need to be replaced. Additionally, many other countries have passed laws outlawing incandescents.
While LEDs are superior to compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) in energy-efficiency and longevity, the only real thing holding LEDs back is that, unlike CFLs, they can only emit light straight outward. This limitation leads to two main inconveniences and safety hazards: 1. Blinding from oncoming lights and 2. A limited angle of visibility.
The currently disclosed technology is for an innovative new optic technology that can avoid these hazards by precisely tuning the direction in which light beams are emitted from LED bulbs. LEDs fitted with this optic will help with safety, lighting precision and energy efficiency.
Currently technology of lights, including incandescents, halogens, CFLs and LEDs are lacking in certain features. For instance headlamps and vehicle headlights and fog lights direct light to undesired places such as upward, which can blind oncoming people. Challenges also exist in flashlights, emergency lights, bicycle lights, and office and business lighting that can only direct light in a very limited angle of visibility.
The primary problem with current LED light bulbs is their inefficient use of light rays. This is particularly troublesome in current home and business lighting. These bulbs emit all of their light beams straight downward in one strong beam that concentrates all the light in a very restricted area. This leads to situations where the light in a room illuminates the center of a room and leaves the corners dark.
Directional limitations in light bulbs leads to several other problems:                Vehicle headlight glare that unnecessarily blinds oncoming traffic at night. Headlight glare also affects pedestrians, cyclists and anyone else who might be on the road.        Mining or emergency room head lamps that blind others when the user looks up.        Emergency stairway lighting that fails to direct the majority of its light down onto stairs where it is needed most.        Vehicle fog lights that can decrease driver visibility in rainy or snowy conditions by shining straight ahead and limiting the effectiveness of the fog light.        
People are particularly eager for a fix to headlight and fog light glare into oncoming driver's eyes. Complaints about headlight glare and its potential link to accidents abound. In 2001 the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a public docket requesting comments regarding headlight glare. By 2008 they had received over 5,000 complaints. Due to these complaints and other research, headlight glare is now at the forefront of their research about potential causes of nighttime crashes.
Flashlights are another product hindered by limited light beam control. Like other light bulbs, flashlights are restricted to emitting light in only one direction straight ahead. This limits flashlight users' visibility to approximately 90 of the 180 degrees in front of them. This limitation is particularly detrimental in the case of police and military flashlights. Current one-directional flashlights force service personnel to sweep their flashlights side-to-side when entering a dark room where suspects may be hiding, thus placing them in a potentially harmful situation when they remove light from one area. This same phenomenon of limited angle of visibility also affects night bicycle riders because their bicycle lights only illuminate a small area in front of them.
This host of problems is caused by limitations in current lighting technology that only permits light to be emitted in one direction. At this time, there is no way to direct light beams from an LED bulb in multiple directions, such as straight downward, straight upward, to the sides, or around in 360 degrees.
Intense heat generation is the biggest disadvantage of LEDs. This heat reduces efficiency, and shortens the life span of the bulb. First generation heat reduction systems are being used in current LEDs, but the technology has a long way to go before LEDs reach their maximum efficacy. Thus, LED thermal management is in need of some real innovation. The disclosed technology includes an improved heat dissipation system. The disclosed technology will eliminate the overheating issues common with LEDs and make them more practical for use with Light Beam Control Optics (LBCO). The heat dissipation system will also prolong the life of LED bulbs.